Discover London's History of Art Scene
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England’s history is arguably the backbone around which the nation’s character is proudly formed. There’s never been a primer time to explore the past of the future in London.

by
Victoria Gill

Lest We Forget

2018 marks the centenary of the Allies’ conquest of the Great War, but London’s major galleries are already posing the question of what mark war makes. Explore the post-war artist retrospectives springing up around the capital’s blockbuster gallery spaces: from the first retrospective of Jean-Michel Basquiat, whose short provenance was produced in the shadow of Vietnam, at The Barbican to Ilya and Emilia Kabakov at Tate Modern and beyond.

Bicentenary Brutalism

As famous for its brutalist architecture as its eye for securing seminal retrospectives by some of the most progressive artists in the world, this magnificent monstrosity reopens on its 50th year with the first retrospective of Andreas Gursky.

Royal Gallery

One of the world’s oldest and most esteemed art institutions, the jewel-like Royal Academy unveils an intelligent rethink for its 250th birthday connecting its off-Bond Street frontage with its show stopping Piccadilly visage.

Around the anniversary of the October Revolution of 1917 major spaces in London are casting a spotlight on Soviet Art – from Royal Academy to the Design Museum and now the Tate Modern, with a major survey of the legacy of the communist rule on art.

Big Top

Perhaps the least known, but most loved, forthcoming anniversary is that of the circus: born on the Southbank 250 years ago, the show of trapeze artists and acrobats would capture the world’s imagination, and is fittingly celebrated across London in 2018. Can’t wait? Book tickets for Cirque du Soleil’s Ovo now.